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March 2006 of Women Voters of the X'airfaxArea Education FundPolitics of Fear

Committee:SusanDill, LeslieVandivereand ShirleyWhite.

Politicsof fear(PoF) is theuseof fear asa tool to gainor to maintainpower,particularly n the politicsof governance.

IntroductionFear s a pervasivepart of everyday ife. We buckleseat-belts,ock doors,get physicals,and stop at redlights. Listeningto or reading the news, one couldconcludehat he count4z,he world, is full of calami-ties and "listener beware!" Well-meaning nterestgoups want theirmessageut: warningof AIDS, thewarmingglobeand heextinctionof species, ecreas-ing wateron the continent, he shortfallof money nsocialsecurity or futuregenerations.nterestgroupscompeteor attentionand money n order o promotetheircauses.Politiciansareno different.Theywant o remain n, orgain, power. POF implies hat politiciansself-con-sciously manipulate people's anxieties n order toachieveheirobjectives.Occasionally careacticsareeffective in underminingopponentsand gaining theacceptancef the generalpopulation. However,pOFis not only a consequencef political exhaustion ndthemanipulationofpublic opinion,but alsoa force nits own right.The useoffear to controlbehaviorhasbeena recog-nizedpolitical tool since he publicationof ThomasHobbes'TheLeviathan n l7h centuryEngland. Fearturns us into children;politically it turns us into thevulnerable,he easily ed. Politicians end o exagger-ate threats or their own advantage; ut, in the 21.tcentury amid all the "noise," the traditional singlethreathasmorphednto a constant arrage f things ofear. In everysingleaspectof daily life we are oldthere s somethingo fear.Beds harbor microscopicmites, genns flourish inbathroomsand kitchens,and using he wrong sortofcleaningproductcould put your family at risk. Usethe right toothpaste ndyou will get heperfectmate;useanotherbrandandyou will endup alone. All day

and every day our naturalfears are manipulated oo'ourown good." Give me money(taxes)and I wilsolve your transportationproblems. Give me youtrust and will keepyou safe.ThomasHobbesand the LeviathanThomasHobbes 1588-1679) as he firstproponeof social contract theory, a dominant influenceonmodernWesternmoralandpolitical philosophy. HefollowedbyJohnLocke 1632-1704) ndJean-JacquRousseau1712-1778),ejectedhe hen-currentiewthata sovereignuled by hereditaryor divine rightandassertedhebelief hatall individualswere ree. Theenvisionedational ndividuaiscreatinga governmeby agreeingo cede heir individualrights n exchangfor peaceandsafety.Born in an English coastal village threatenedwithimminent nvasionby the SpanishArmada n 1588Hobbes ived during a period of extraordinarycivistrife, the English Civil Wars. A scholar, utor, andwriter, Hobbeswas an associate f ReneeDescarteandknewmanyprominent cientistsncludingGalileoHis understanding f their work was the basisof hisbelief that skepticaldeductive easoning esulted nvalidscientific heories.He applied hesame rocesto develophis scienceof natur4l ustice or politicaphilosophy: ". . . . theoremsof moral doctrine hamen may learn therebyhow to governand how toobey." (Hobbes, h.31,p.287.)Hobbeswrote theLeviathan,aclassicboth n Englishliteratureand n political thought, n 1651. His thesiis that heprimaryconcernof humankind n a stateofnafure s self-preservation.Unrestrained ompetitiofor survival esults n "war of everyoneagainsteveryone"(Hobbes,Ch. 13,p 108)and, which is worstofall, continual earand dangerof violentdeath;and he

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R-2 The ue of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area Education Fund March 2006life of man solitary,poor, nasty,brutish,and short.(Hobbes, h. 13 ,p 107.)Rather han his conditionof war, the logicalthing todo sto seekpeace; ut, sinceeachpersonhas herightto do whatever s necessaryo preserveone's life, itisn't safe,for anyoneto give up that right unlesseveryone oes. Hobbes'ssolution s a socialcontractin which everyoneagreeswith everyoneelse o giveup this naturalright. Then,everyone s united in acommonwealth. .Thisis the generation f thatgreatLeviathan. . . to which we owe . . our peaceanddefense."Hobbes,Ch. 17,p. A3.).

Hobbesexplains hat the essence f the Leviathanorcommonwealths oneperson.This oneperson s thesovereign nwhomessentialightsof sovereign owerare conferred o use ,,ashe shall think expedient ortheir peace ndcommondefense.,' Hobbes,Ch. 17,p. 43.)The duty of the sovereign,whethera monarchor anassembly,s to assurehe safetyof the people. Bysafety" is not meantmerepreservation, ut a state nryltl:h all persons, y their own industry,canacquireall the goodthings hey desirewithout dung", or hurtto the commonwealth.The first dutyof the sovereignis to maintain the es.sentialights of sovereigntybecause,f they are relinquishedi,thecommonwealthis therebydissolvedand everyman returns nto theconditionandcalamityof awar with everyotherman,y!i9h is the greatest vil thatcanhappenn this life.,,(Hobbes, h.30,p.262.) Thesovere-ign,second utyis to makesure he peopleunderstandhereasons ndgroundsof the sovereign,sessential ights so thetwon't resisthim when hecommonwealth-requiresthatheuseandexercisehose ishts.

Fear ItselfFearunderlineshe fragileness f life. We feardeath,power,gods, oss,and heunknown. Websterdefinesfearas (n) anxietycausedby real or possibledanger,pain,etc.and (vt) to expectwith misgiving.AmericanpsychiatristAbraham Maslow,s friera.cty of needs

lists safety as secondof five needs o be satisfied.Maslow'spremises thathumanbehavior s basedondeficiencyand growth needs. Before growth canbeachievedo a higherneed,deficiencies-muste met.If an individual'sneedsareachievedo higher evels,and then if a deficiencyon the lower level occurs,activity is redirectedo satisfr that lower needbeforemaintaining he higher growth need. Our securitv-personaland otherwise,s a basic nstinct. lr" .r"edfor safetymust be met before he need o know andunderstandpartof the fifth levelof needs).

Ac'tualization

Esteem\Love/Belonging \

Safety

Physiological

Maslow,sierarchyfNeedsFear saphysiologicalevent.Theprimalreactionsetsoff. a chain of physiologicalevents. Facially, eyeswiden, th9 upper ip rises,browsdraw together,andIips stretchhorizontally. The blood arrdoxygen ispulled from non-essentialareas nto large muscleBr.oups.Pain responses suppressed.Adrenalin isreleased nto the body. Feai is also an emotionalevent,a negativeemotion.The rst reactionsto backl*uy It is an unpleasanteeling of risk or danger.Fearcan mmobilize,especiallyhe reasonirrgup;_ity. Rational hinking is unabie o take placi. On apositivenote,fear s an advantagehat keepsus fromdanger.

Publichealthnoticesoftenuse ear to obtaincompli_ance-or the public good. Wash your hands,usecondoms, topsmokingand hose amous this is your

Therewould beno one o frightenyou if you re_fused o beafraid. MohandasK. GanOhi

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March 2006 The League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area Education Fund Rcase ather han heprobability hat he worst casewactuallyoccur. What s rational n today's world?it rational to fear a foreign terrorist more than tpossibilityof poor dietarychoiceseading o aneadeath?

Mr. President,he only way you areevergoing o get his is to make a speech nd

scare hehell out of the country.SenatorArthur Vandenberg,1947

The voiceof intelligencesdrownedout by the roar of fear.

Karl A. Menninger

brain on drugs" televisionads hat use the image offryin! eggs to grab, he attention of a sometimesapathetic ublic. We all have o makechoicesn ourdaily lives and sometimesear can be a very usefultool to keepussafe. To makecriticalchoiceswe needto separateccuratenformation rom rumor or specu-lation.

What's Really ScaryWhat is man's gteatestear: violent death. ln actualfact, heartdiseaseand cancercauseover half of alldeaths.We aremore ikely to die of oneof these wothings han die in a terrorist attack. You are n moredangerdriving to the supermarkethan flying on aplane. With all the nformation eadily available,whydo we fear a terror attackwhen the most deadly ormof terrorismwe face s within our own bodies?We domore danger o ourselveson a daily basisthan AlQaeda verdid.

Deaths n the US n 2003Cause PercentHeartDisease 28,00o/o

Cancer 22.70o/oStroke 6A0%Lower esp.diseases 5.20%Accidents 4.50o/oDiabetes 3.00%Influenza/oneumonia 2.7Oo/oAlzheime/s 2.600/oNeohritis/neohrosis 1.7oo/oSeoticemia 1.40o/oSuicide 1_30%Liverdisease/cirrhosis 1 1 0 %Hvoer./hvoer. enaldisease 0.90%Parkinson's isease 0.7Oo/oHomicide 0.70%All other causes 17.OOo/"

AssessingRisk or Rational Decision MakingWhenassessingisk, mostpeopleconsider he worst

When planning for personal safety, consider probability of the eventsyou are trying to protyourself rom. Do your concerns rise rom reasothought or inflammatory rhetoric? Are you winformed about the source of your fear? [s yoknowledgebasedon reliablesources?The LeviathanTodayHobbes'ssocial contractprovidesa goodframewfor a discussion f today'spoliticsof fear.The soveignmustconstantly emindpeopleofthe dangerswill follow if the commonwealth issolves-a retto a state of nature and war. Today's citizens frightened nto giving up someof their liberty so they can feel secure. How much power shouldgrant heLeviathan n exchangeor our safety?During heClinton Era, alk about catastrophicterrism" and weaponsofmassdestruction" ascommBy the late 1990's, fear aboutcatastrophicerrorwas being used by a variety of political and speinterestgroups.The war on terror is frightening. All war is frighting. Any government hat has engagedn war used ear to rally its citizens. Support he war or ywill die, or evenworse,you mightprovidecomforaid to the enemy. You are either with us or agaus" - sound familiar? The current War on Temaintains s n aconstant tateof low-grade ear. Wwe ever see condition greenor are we to live iconstant ellow state?We all feel vulnerable, ut is it necessaryo surrenour privacyto keep us safe? Is this a realistic choto ask the public to make: privacy or safety?T

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of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area Education Fundreferenceo fear n the 2l.t Century s a predominantfeature f public ife sinceSeptemberl, 2001. pOFhas beenassociatedwith the currentadministration.POF s the weaponof choicewith thqsewho disagreewith the White House. It is a tool when ratingsde_cline. Since he 2004election,opponentsrequentlyportray nitiativesofPresidentBushasexamples ftheuseof fear. January2005,DemocraticSenatorKen-nedyarguedhatBush'spolicy on SocialSecuritywaspushedhroughusingpOF. In GreatBritain,theBlairgovernments frequentlyaccused f similar actics.The 2004 Bush-Kerry presidentialcampaign s thebest-knowncampaign or usingfearand errorism oconvincethe electorate hat each candidatewouldmake hebest eaderand hat t would be a calamity ovote or theothercandidate.Ads statedhatKerrywasweak on nationalsecurity, ntelligenceand defense,and otheradssaidPresidentBushhasmade he U.S.unsafe.Democraticvice-presidential andidateSenator ohnEdwardsaccusedHouse SpeakerDennis Hastertofusing"politics of fear" whenhe saidal eaeda error_ists would use an attack to swing the vote to JohnKerry's favor. Vice-President heneyat another imesaid hat "terroristswill strike again" if we make hewrongchoice." Votersreceivedadsvia speechesndtelevisionads from Bush,Ke.ry and political groupsdesignedo convincehevoter hat heworld would6emoredangerous nd hat herewouldbean ncreasencasualtiesf theotherguy won.In thecampaignn Englandprecedinghe2005BritishGeneralElection, commentators doptedpOF as aframe through which they interpretedevents. TheTory partywascriticizedby thepoliceassociationorsuggestinghatcrimehad isen n areaswhere heseatswere marginal. Through an open leffer, the Arch_bishop of Canterburyurgedthat all candidates topusing fear-driven politics. Candidates requentlyaccused neanotherofusing the fearcard.Politicians ack vision arguesFrankFuredi n politics9!.*. Political argon is low on specificsandhighin rhetoric.Politicalvocabularysdesignedo obscurethe ruthand o distract rom underlying deasand hatthereareno BIG IDEAS. With no visionthere s littleto change.There s a lossof effectivenessn qovern_

ment. Policiesareno longer he resultof thoughtfudebatebut rather he resultof fiddling with policiesmaking ittle adjustments nd hinking that dilemmaarecreatedby global forcesandarebeyondanyone,control.There s a pervadingsense f underestimatingumancapabilities. [n MargaretThatcherand RonaldReagan's tirne, a feeling that "there is no alternative,known as TINA, implied a lack of choicewhich inturn indicates he end of political discussrron. his isfatalistic. The Americanpresidentialcampaignsof2000and2004 ackedsubstance. herewasno ,,platform" eitherby the candidates r the politicalpartiesPeoples'dentities nd ifestyleshavebecome oliti-cized.Samesex marriage, eligion, working parentsand gunshave becomedebatessues. politiciansdonot persuade:hey selladson television.In thechaoshat ollowed he loodingofNew Orleansin 2005,manypeoplewanted hepresidentto send nthe military to control the situation.As the populacedescendednto fear herewerecallsfor strong, orce-ful leadership. ecause f theposseComitatuiAct of1878, he presidentwasunable o send n the militaryto enforce ivil laws.ThePosseComitatusAct prohib_its using the Army to enforcecivilian law without aspecificact of Congress.ConclusionWhen applied to politics, fear cancelschoice andprovidesan "either - or" sifuation. Who do we thinkwill keepus free from terror? If we questioncurrentpolitics,arewe giving aid and comfortto the enemy?Does giving up freedom of speech guaranteeusfreedomfrom terror? Where do we draw the line?These redifficult questionswith no easyanswers.Dowe understandhe political implicationsof fear?Fear is a mental and physical reaction. Natural.healthyfear warns us to avoid pain. We fear thatwhich could inflict pain on us by otherswho wish toharmor kill us. Politically,we fear for ourselves ndfor our neighbors.As threatsare hrownaroundwith wild abandon. neshouldremember hat there s alwaysan alternative.Even f achoicedoesnot seem eadilyavailable,hereare alwayschoicesand he onewe selectdependson

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March 2006 The League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area Education Fund R-5whetherwe seeourselvesas vulnerableor resilient.FurediSayswe cansuccumbo a cultureof fatalismorwecan akeapositiveapproach y believing n humanresourcefulnessand by engaging, n the politicalprocess.Only a positive,deliberativeapproachcaneffectively espond o the emotionalpaniccreatedbythepoliticsof fear.

There s a critical need or citizens' voices n this ongoingpublic discourse nd anequallycriticalfor citizens o act aswatchdogso ensure hat he ntegrityof our democracys preserved.LWYUS President Kay J. Maxwell

need

BibliographyBeland,Daniel."Book Reviewof Fear:TheHistoryof aPolitical dea."Canadian ournalof Sociology JanuaryFebruary2005. Internet.Curtis, Adam. "Fear Gives Politicians a Reason to Be." Guardian Unlimited. 28 January 2Q0Duke,Lynne. FromColdWartoCodeRed,TheAura ofFear."TheWashingtonost.l I September 004:COl."Deaths:FinalData or2003."('ctitct',t;litt')i.rt'usa'orttrttluntlPre arrtion. ationalCenterforHealthStatistic28 January 006. Furedi,Frank. The Market n Fear"Spiked.26September 005.--. Politicsof Fear: BeyondLefi and Right. Continuum nternationalPublishingGroup: London, 2005.Hobbes, homas. eviathan.Ed J. C. Gaskin.OxfordUniversityPress:Oxford, 1998.---.Leviathan:Parts One and Two. The Liberal Arts Press:New York, 1958.Leagueof WomenVoters."Local Voices: CitizenConversations n Civil Libertiesand SecureCommunitiesWashington, C,2005.MaclqArien,Ed.'Tear:16PoliticalUsesandAbuses."SocialResearch.5anuary2006.(www.socres.orgfuolTl/issue7Massumi , Br ian. "Preface: The Pol i t ics of Everyday Fear . " 28 January 2006"PosseComitafusAct of 1898." USDOJ& GovernmentWatch."The Powerof Nightmares," hree-part eries.B.BC.2320GMT on BBC Two. 18-20January 005.Portis, Edward Bryan. Reconstructing the Classics: Political Theory From Plato to Mar., Chatham HouseChatham, J, 1998.Robin, Corey.Fear: TheHistory of a Political ldea. Oxford University Press:Oxford, 2004.Stortz,MarthaE. "The Politicsof Fear s a Season f Campaigning"PacificLutheranTheologicalSeminary: 8Jan.2005.VandeHei, im andHowardKurtz. "The Politicsof Fear:KerryAdoptsBushStrategy f StressingDangers."ThWashington ost.29 September 004: Al.Will, GeorgeF. "Leviathanin Louisiana."Newsweek 2 September 005:88.You t he r , M ick . o 'Bus h ' s Po l i t i cs o f Fear . " I n te rven t ion M agaz ine . 2S J an . 2006 .